Compounding Questions & Answers

What is a compounding pharmacy?

A compounding pharmacy is a pharmacy that produces custom prescriptions of compounded medications. Compounding pharmacies are also called compounding, specialty, or niche pharmacies. They are also sometimes referred to as mail-order pharmacies.

Compounding pharmacies are pharmacies that prepare custom medications or fill prescriptions for patients. Compounding pharmacies may only compound medications for their own use or for the use of their clients. Some compounding pharmacies are limited to compounding medications for patients within a certain geographic area, such as a specific state. Other compounding pharmacies are not restricted in their area of compounding. Compounding pharmacies typically compound sterile products. Compounding pharmacies can be located in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, physician offices, and other locations.

What is compounding?

Compounding is the process of mixing two or more medications to create a new medication that is customized for a patient. Compounding may involve combining two or more medications, or it may involve mixing one medication with a base or vehicle. Compounding is not limited to mixing medications, but can also involve combining medication with other ingredients, such as food, flavor, or sweetener.

For example, compounding can involve mixing two medications together to create a new medication. In this case, the compounding pharmacy would have two medications on hand and would mix them together to create a new medication that is then filled into a prescription.

Compounding can also involve combining medication with a base or vehicle. In this case, the compounding pharmacy would have one medication on hand and a base or vehicle and would combine them to create a new medication that is then filled into a prescription.

In both of these examples, the compounding pharmacy creates a new medication that is then filled into a prescription. In both of these examples, the compounding pharmacy is filling a prescription. However, the compounding pharmacy is not filling a prescription for a patient. The compounding pharmacy is filling a prescription for the pharmacy.

What are the benefits of compounding?

The primary benefit of compounding is that it allows a compounding pharmacy to create medications that are tailored to the patient. The compounding pharmacy can mix two or more medications together to create a medication that is more effective for the patient than any of the individual medications alone.

For example, a compounding pharmacy may mix a medication with a base or vehicle to create a medication that is more effective for a patient than the medication alone. A compounding pharmacy may also combine a medication with a food, flavor, or sweetener to create a medication that is more effective for a patient than the medication alone.

The customization of medications is particularly important for patients who have conditions that require a very specific type of medication, such as patients with cystic fibrosis. Patients with cystic fibrosis have a condition that requires a medication that contains a specific amount of salt. If the medication does not contain the proper amount of salt, the medication can cause problems for the patient. The compounding pharmacy can mix the medication with a salt base to create a medication that contains the proper amount of salt for the patient.

Compounding pharmacies also have other benefits. For example, a compounding pharmacy may create medications that are not available in the market.

What are the risks of compounding?

The primary risk of compounding is that it can create a medication that contains too much or too little of an ingredient. A compounding pharmacy may mix two medications together to create a medication that contains too much of an ingredient. For example, a compounding pharmacy may mix two medications together that contain the same ingredient. The compounding pharmacy may also mix the medication with a base or vehicle to create a medication that contains too much or too little of an ingredient.